Kiev, May 14
The fission reactions in uranium fuel masses of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) reported earlier pose no danger and the possibility of a disaster is minimal, according to Ukrainian experts.
The experts from the State Scientific and Technical Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Safety said that a New Safe Confinement (NSC) recently built atop the unit four reactor hall is equipped with a modern system of continuous monitoring, with the limits of safe operation set for each sensor, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.
An increase in the activity of neutron fluxes in a separate area was recorded under the NSC, meanwhile this process is very slow and under control, according to the experts.
"The NSC is a complex object, it is a series of physical processes, so the situation should be assessed comprehensively, taking into account all available aspects," they said.
"First of all, it should be understood that all processes under the NSC take place in a subcritical, safe manner."
The Chernobyl NPP, some 110 km north of Kiev, witnessed one of the worst nuclear accidents in human history on April 26, 1986.
After the disaster, a large tract of land around the plant was designated as a forbidden zone and ordinary people were completely prohibited from entering it for decades.
As radiation levels decreased, the 30-square-km area around the plant was officially opened to tourists in 2010, though some areas still highly polluted with radiation.
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